Assembly and task planning in a collaborative web-based environment based on assembly process modeling methodology

Assembly task planning is the generation of the ordered sequence of tasks necessary to assembly the given parts. Based on the Assembly Process Modeling Methodology (APM) developed at the Assembly Automation Laboratory, where the product definition includes both logical and physical building blocks, and the dependencies between them, the development of an Intelligent Task Planning system built upon a Collaborative Web-based environment will enable the integration of the product design process and the assembly system design process. The Product Model definition will consist of a network or hierarchy of interrelated items, where each item has an interface, which contains all the necessary information to verify the item's compliance with the other items in the product definition. The relationships are defined as configuration rules, which can be formally specified in a syntax language. Based on the principle that all intelligent assembly task-planning systems can be structured as a typical knowledge-based system, the use of a software environment that allows the re-use of components, and database independency increases the robustness of the system. The integration of object-oriented and machine learning techniques for intelligent task planning into the system, adds the capability of using complex entities such as Computer-Aided Design (CAD) or Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) models. The system will serve as an integration point between the product design phase and the assembly system deployment, embracing the capabilities of a web environment, enabling the development team to work remotely over the Internet on one framework, with zero-latency sharing of information. The system enables direct connectivity to Product Data Management (PDM) or Requirements Management (RM) systems, though the use of Java and Extensible Markup Language (XML) technologies. The scope of this research is the final assembly activities in the Electronics and Photonics Industries.